In brief [Archives:2008/1149/Local News]

SANA'A

– Rare reptiles seized at Sana'a airport

Yemeni authorities have seized 3000 chameleons and 350 lizards at the Sana'a airport planned to be smuggled to abroad, the althawra daily has said.

The rare reptiles that only live in Yemen, were put within banana products that would have been exported via the airport.

The paper said an Arab citizen along with a Yemeni collected the chameleons and lizards from three provinces in Yemen to smuggle them and sell them in other countries.

The two persons were arrested and referred to prosecution and the reptiles were handed over to the Authority for Environment Protection and the Sana'a Zoo.

– Cabinet forms committee to study draft law of improving judiciary

The cabinet formed on Tuesday a committee to study a draft law presented by Minister of Justice over making further judicial reforms in order to enhance independence of the judiciary.

The draft aims at improving performance of the judiciary in accordance with constitution.

The cabinet asked the committee to raise its report on the draft as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the cabinet agreed on a cooperation agreement between Yemen and Turkey in health field which was signed last February, 2008.

The cabinet also referred a draft law of shafting posts in the state units which aims at modernizing services units and enhancing efforts of combating corruption.

ADEN

– Japanese oil tanker Takayama arrives in Aden seaport

The Japanese oil tanker “Takayama”” arrived on Tuesday in the seaport of Aden that has been attacked by Somali pirates in the Arab Sea.

Sources at Aden Seaport told Saba that Yemeni technical cadres at the harbor would provide the tanker with all the required technical repairs to fix the damages so it would be able to continue its journey to the Saudi seaport Yanbu'e.Worth mentioning